The present invention relates to a flooring material comprising board shaped floor elements which are intended to be joined vertically.
Prefabricated floor boards which are provided with tongue and groove at the edges are well known today. As these are rather easy to install, this can be achieved by the average handy man. Such floors can be made of solid wood, particle board or fibre board. These floor boards are most often provided with a top surface, such as lacquer or some kind of laminate. The board are most often joined by being glued together via their tongue and groove. The most common types of floor boards are, however, burdened with the disadvantage to form gaps of varying width between the floor boards if the installer is not thorough enough. Dirt will accumulate in such gaps. Moisture will furthermore enter the joints which will cause the core to expand in cases where it is made of solid wood, fibre board or particle board which usually is the case. This expansion will cause the top surface to rise closest to the joint, which radically decreases the useful life of the floor due to increased wear on the protruding edges of the floor board. In order to avoid this type of gaps it is known to use different type of tensioning devices used for clamping the floor boards together during installation. This operation is, however, rather awkward and it is desirable to achieve a floor board with a joint which is self-orienting and thereby automatically will find its correct position. It would also be possible to use such a joint without having to use glue.
The above mentioned problems have been solved through the present invention whereby a floor that is easy to install has been achieved. Accordingly, the invention relates to a flooring material including floor boards with an essentially square, rectangular or rhomboidal shape. The floor boards are provided with edges, a horizontal lower side and a horizontal decorative upper surface. The floor boards are provided with lower joining lips at two adjacent edges while the two remaining edges are provided with upper joining lips. The invention is characterised in that the lower joining lips are provided with essentially vertical lower lip surfaces arranged parallel to the closest edge which lower lips surfaces are intended to interact with mainly vertical upper lip surfaces arranged on the upper joining lips. Two joined adjacent floor boards are hereby locked together in a horizontal direction. The joining lips are furthermore provided with one or more heels intended to snap-join with recesses adapted thereto which, by being provided with essentially horizontal locking surfaces, limits vertical movement between two joined adjacent floor boards.
The joint between two floor boards joined together, preferably includes fitting surfaces which are comprised by the horizontal locking surfaces on the recesses and the heels, the vertical upper lip surfaces and upper fitting surfaces. The joint between two floor boards joined together suitably also includes cavities.
According to one embodiment of the invention the heel is constituted by a resilient part which is arranged in a cavity. The recess is alternatively constituted by a resilient part which is arranged in a cavity. Such a resilient part may suitably be constituted by an extruded thermoplastic profile, a profile made of thermosetting resin or an extruded or a cold forged profile made of metal or the like.
These resilient parts may be handled in different ways. One suitable way is to pre-mount these into cavities intended for the purpose. The resilient part will hereby be in the correct position when the floor is to be installed. The material chosen will, however, be limited somewhat since some of the floor boards will have to be cut in connection to the installation as the floor board and the resilient part will have to be cut simultaneously. Thinner profiles made of brittle materials, such as thermosetting resins, might for example shatter if cut with an ordinary fog saw, while for example steel is practically impossible to cut with such a tool. Since the floor board itself usually comprises a core of fibreboard or particleboard with a surface of thermosetting laminate the choice of cutting tools will be somewhat limited. Aluminium, or a thermoplastic material such as polypropylene, polyethylene, poly amide or polystyrene, advantageously containing a filler, is therefore suitable where a pre-assembled resilient part is desired. Pre-assembled resilient parts does suitably have a length only a bit shorter than the side on which they are mounted. A prevalent dimension on the floor board is 200xc3x971200 mm.
It is also possible to mount the resilient part during the installation of the floor. The choice of material in the resilient parts will hereby be more free as they may be manufactured in different, and shorter lengths. It hereby becomes possible to choose spring steel which will provide an excellent locking. Suitable lengths of post-assembled resilient part may be from a few centimeters to a couple of decimeters.
The flooring material comprising the above floor board is very suited when installing floors where no glue is to be used. It is, of course, possible to utilise glue or adhesive tape to make the installation irreversibly permanent. The glue or tape is then suitably applied in, or in connection to, possible cavities before joining the floor boards.
Floor boards according to present invention are, unlike common types of floor boards, joined by being pressed downwards. Commonly known floor boards are assembled horizontally by being forced or knocked together. Some known floor boards are assembled by being turned or prized into position. These known floor boards are guided vertically, and in a few cases also horizontally, on a great number of variations on the tongue-and-grove theme. It is very difficult to apply sufficient horizontal force manually at floor level whereby different types of tensioning devices are essential when installing such floors. The installer will only have to apply some of his body weight over the joint and the floor boards will snap together, when installing floors according to the present invention. It is hereby becomes possible walk the floor boards into position once they are placed correctly.
It is also possible to install the floor standing up by using very simple tools, for example a couple of rods with a suction cup at the lower ends. It would thereby be possible to install the floor without having to crawl on ones knees. Industrial injuries such as back and knee problems are very common among floor installers.